Riding in a Car with Arnold
by HAFanForever
Summary: Arnold, having just received his driver's license, is talked into sneaking out the Packard by Helga to prove to her he can be a bad boy sometimes. But after having no trouble with the car during his date, Murphy's Law strikes and Arnold ends up backing into the motorcycle of a policeman. Cover image is "Kissing in the Car", an artwork made for me by Jpinkya on Twitter.


It was a Friday night in Hillwood. Arnold had recently passed his driving test and received his license. Although he was excited about it, he was still unconfident about driving a car without one of his parents or grandparents being there with him and coaching him on it.

Helga, on the other hand, was excited about Arnold getting to drive because it meant that he could drive them out on dates with the two of them being complete alone together. Although Helga had her license as well, her dad refused to let her drive either of his cars unless he was with her. And Helga was desperate for her and Arnold to be alone together, especially in a car.

Tonight, Arnold and Helga were talking to each other by phone. Helga was trying to talk Arnold into taking his grandfather's Packard out so that the two of them could finally be in a car alone together. But Arnold was extremely reluctant to do so, and if that wasn't enough, Helga was trying to convince Arnold to sneak out with the Packard, even just once.

"Awww, come on, Football Head! Don't be such a wuss! Just take the Packard out this one time without asking your parents or grandparents first."

"Look, Helga, if I get caught taking the Packard without permission, I could get in a lot of trouble over it."

"Oh, Arnold! After all these years, you're still the wet blanket and spoilsport you've always been! Why is it so wrong to take a risk now and then?"

"Helga, the Packard is one of my grandpa's prized possessions. It's _really_ important to him. If I took it out without his permission, or even permission from my parents and grandma, I could get in really big trouble for it. I mean, what if I accidentally wreck it or get pulled over by a cop and get a ticket…"

But Helga wouldn't let Arnold keep explaining reasons. "Yeah, yeah! Tell me something I don't know about the worst that could happen! Arnold, I've been doing sneaky things since I was a little kid, and I've never gotten caught!"

"But Helga, I'm not nearly as crafty as you are in getting out of trouble."

Helga sighed disgustedly. "You need to get out more, hair boy, and stop being so 'by the book'! Don't be afraid to break the rules once in a while!"

"But Helga…" Arnold started, trying to make Helga see reason.

"Don't start with me, Football Head! You know what you are? You're a sissy! A big sissy! You're just a goody two-shoes, and that's all you'll ever be!"

"What?! Helga…" Arnold shouted, still trying to reason with her until he heard the familiar sound of the dial tone. He gasped in shock. "Helga? Helga!" he shouted, but of course, there was no response. "I can't believe she hung up on me!" Then Arnold slammed his phone into its receiver.

For a few minutes, Arnold sat on his collapsible couch, fuming at what Helga had said to him, not to mention the nerve she had in insulting him. Then he stood up and spoke out loud, "All right, Helga. You think I'm still just a wet blanket who refuses to break the rules? Well, I'll prove you wrong, and I'll do it now!"

Arnold went over to his desk, then grabbed his wallet from his desk drawer. He looked inside it, making sure he had his money and license in there. "But I won't be going empty-handed." He tucked his wallet into his pocket, then walked to his grandparents' room. Inside his grandpa's nightstand drawer, he found the keys to the Packard. He reached for them, then stopped to think.

 _Should I really go ahead and do this? Am I really trying to prove something Helga or to myself because I'm still exasperated by her teasing and picking on me?_ But then he tried to look on the bright side. _It's just for this one time. I'll only be gone a couple of hours. Maybe they won't even have a chance to notice the car is gone before I return._

Hearing his parents and grandparents talking amongst each other in the living room, Arnold began walking towards the garage. Then he called to his family, "Hey Mom? Dad? Grandpa? Grandma? I'm gonna go out with Helga for a while."

"All right, Arnold," Stella called after him. "Have a good time."

"Just be home by midnight, son," Miles added.

"I will. See you all later!" Arnold then headed to the garage, where the Packard was packed. Quietly closing the door behind him, Arnold unlocked the car and got into the driver's seat. After opening the garage, he started the car, then backed out of the garage and onto the street. Feeling more at ease with himself, Arnold then took the direction to Helga's house.

* * *

Within minutes, Arnold pulled up in front of Helga's house, and had no problems at all with driving the Packard. Once he turned the key to turn off the card, he exhaled with relief. "I did it. I actually drove the Packard without an adult guiding me." Then he grinned widely and threw up his arms in excitement. "And I feel great!"

After his excitement wore off, Arnold stepped out of the car and went up to the Patakis' front door. As he was leaving the car, inside the house, Helga was sitting on her bed, thinking about what she said to Arnold before she hung up on him. At first, she was relieved that their conversation was over, but it didn't take long for her to feel remorse about insulting Arnold and getting upset with him over a silly matter with the Packard.

Helga was heading downstairs to get a snack when she heard a series of knocks on the door. So naturally, she went to answer it.

"Arnold? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me."

"But…you…drove the Packard here?"

"Yes."

"All by yourself?" Helga said as if she could not believe it to be true.

"Yeah, so?"

Helga's widened in shock. "'So'? Arnold, did your parents or grandparents say you could take the Packard?"

Arnold simply shrugged. "They didn't say I couldn't."

Helga's eyes stayed wide and she opened her mouth. "You mean, you stole it?!"

"Now I wouldn't exactly call it stealing," Arnold said, trying to sound as laid back and casual as he could. "I just…didn't ask their permission, that's all."

Helga frowned, then put her hand on Arnold's forehead. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Arnold Shortman?"

Arnold rolled his eyes as he removed her hand from his head. "Helga, it _is_ me. I can be spontaneous and break the rules now and then."

Helga snorted. " _You?_ Arnold, your idea of spontaneous is you wearing a different plaid shirt. And as for breaking the rules…no, I've never seen you do it. That's just not you. I'm just so…just so-"

"Disappointed?" Arnold asked. He lowered his head, feeling worse for doing this in the first place.

"No, proud!" Arnold's head lifted up and he looked at Helga, who was smirking at him. "You're getting as good as me. Who would have thought? I'm really rubbing off on you, hair boy!"

Arnold chuckled. "I guess you are, Helga." Then he pulled her close to him and kissed her on the lips. Helga melted and kissed back.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Arnold and Helga were at the drive-in. They had watched the same film twice in a row, and now they were ready to leave and call it a night.

Arnold sighed deeply. "What a movie. What a night. What a kiss."

Helga eyed Arnold suspiciously, but smiled as she did. "What kiss?"

Arnold turned towards her and grinned. "This one."

"Oooh, you're pretty smooth, Football Head."

"I know," Arnold replied. He and Helga both chuckled, then embraced each other as they kissed for what felt like one of the longest times they ever had.

When they finally broke the kiss, Helga said, "We'd better get going."

Arnold scoffed. "What do you think I was trying to do?" He leaned in to try to kiss her again, and as much as Helga wanted to keep kissing Arnold, she knew they both had to go home.

"It's almost midnight," she said, gently pushing Arnold back.

That got Arnold's attention immediately. "Midnight?! Oh, wow! I better get home before my grandpa realizes the car's missing!"

Arnold put the stick in drive mode, then slowly and carefully, he started backing the car up. But he didn't get very far when there was the sound of a crash behind them. Both Arnold and Helga jumped at the sound and looked towards the rear of the car. But since it was pitch black outside, they couldn't see anything.

"What was that?!" Helga asked.

"I don't know!" Arnold exclaimed.

"Well, I know!" came a voice from Arnold's open window. He and Helga turned towards the window, and there stood a policeman who did not look happy at all. "You backed into my motorcycle!"

Arnold laughed nervously. "Uh, s-sorry, Officer. I-I didn't see you pull up."

"I guess your rearview mirror was too steamed up." Arnold and Helga could only respond to that with sheepish grins and blushes, but the officer still did not smile. "How old are you?"

"I-I'm 17, sir," Arnold answered.

"You know, son, I could have been on that motorcycle you just backed into. In which case, you would have been talking to a dead cop. Now let me see your license and registration."

"Why do you need the registration?"

"Because when I catch a minor driving an antique car like a Packard, I want to know who he stole it from."

"Wha-…? Steal? I didn't steal this car, Officer. I borrowed it from my grandpa."

"Uh huh," the cop said dismissively. Then he ordered, "Now give me the registration."

Arnold gestured to Helga to open the glove compartment, which held an assortment of papers about the Packard. Helga did so and took out all the papers, then she and Arnold skimmed through them until they found the registration.

Arnold handed it to the officer, who looked at it. Then he said, "Says here this car is owned by a Phil Shortman."

"Yes, that's my grandpa," Arnold responded. Then Arnold produced a picture of his grandfather along with his (Arnold's) driver's license.

The officer eyed Arnold suspiciously as he looked at the photo and license. "I'm not seeing much of a family resemblance."

"Uh, that's because I look more like my mother," Arnold said with a nervous smile. "My name is Arnold, Arnold Shortman."

After a few more minutes of trying to explain himseld to avoid getting in deeper trouble, the policeman ordered Arnold and Helga to get out of the car, then drove them to the police station, where he kept them for over an hour.

* * *

Back at the boarding house, Phil had discovered that the Packard was gone and realized Arnold must have taken it. Even though he wasn't initially happy that Arnold didn't ask him, he realized that Arnold maybe wanted to take a chance to be a bit of a rebel by taking out the car without permission. He mentioned this Gertie, then to Miles and Stella. However, the couple were also feeling a bit laid back about this, because they trusted Arnold completely and knew that he was responsible enough to be careful, especially since he did have a license. Simultaneously, though, they were also a little worried because Arnold had not yet driven a car without an adult.

When it was 12:30 AM, Arnold was still not home, so his family decided to call all the local hospitals to see whether he was in an accident. Luckily, he was not, but then they called the police. Bob and Miriam were also at the boarding house, since Helga was not home, either, and they figured that she was with Arnold.

"Well, at least they're not in any of the hospitals, thank God for that," Miles said after he hung up the phone for the tenth time.

"Miles," Gertie started, and extended her hand to put it on her son's shoulder. "Try not to be too angry with Arnold."

"Angry"? He's never driven a car alone before. I'm far more concerned about his safety to be angry with him."

"So am I," Stella said.

It was only seconds after they spoke that the doorbell started buzzing. Miles opened the door, and there stood Arnold and Helga, smiling nervously, as the policeman stood behind them.

"Hi, Mom. Dad. Grandma. Grandpa," Arnold said to each of his family members. Then he saw Bob and Miriam, the former of whom did not look happy. "Uh, hi, Bob. Miriam."

"Hi Mom. Hi Dad," Helga said. "Hi, everybody."

"Hello, Arnold. Hello, Helga," everyone said simultaneously in what sounded like a monotone voice.

Still wearing the awkward grin, Arnold gestured to the policeman standing behind him. "Uh, this is a policeman."

"I can see that," Miles said.

"Come in, officer," Stella said. The policeman walked inside the building after Arnold and Helga. They all walked into the kitchen, and Arnold and Helga were the only ones who sat at the table while everyone else stood up.

"What's the problem, officer?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Shortman, your son was driving this car, a Packard. Does anyone in this house actually own this same car?"

"That would be me," Phil answered.

"Arnold, why did you take the Packard without our permission?" Miles said to his son.

"Ah ha! So he _did_ take the car without permission from any of you," the officer spoke up. "He claims that he borrowed it."

"Son, you may have your license now, but you're still only 17," Stella said. "You know you have to ask one of us first before you take the car."

"Arnold, if you had asked me, I would have let you borrow the Packard," Phil said. "Why didn't you ask in the first place?"

Arnold opened his mouth to answer, but then the cop said to his parents, "And one or both of you will have to pay for my mangled motorcycle. He backed into it."

Needless to say, this revelation shocked both Stella and Miles. "Backed into it?!" Miles exclaimed. Then Stella followed suit when she exclaimed, "Good gosh!"

"And since he's a minor, you two are responsible."

"Ah ha! I always knew there was something off with you ever since you were a boy, Alfred!" Bob exclaimed before anyone else could speak.

"It's Arnold," Arnold shouted simultaneously with Helga and the rest of Arnold's family.

"Yeah, whatever!" Bob shouted. The he directed his attention to Miles and Stella, as well as Phil and Gertie. "This incident clearly proves that your son and grandson here is just a juvenile delinquent, and I don't want him hanging around with Helga anymore!"

" _What?!"_ Arnold and Helga both cried in shock, then they looked at each other in worry. Luckily, Arnold's parents saw this and quickly came to their rescue.

"Hey, Bob, would you just calm down, please," Miles started. "You know well by now that Arnold is not a delinquent. I mean, just earlier tonight, you yourself told us how good he is to Helga."

Stella nodded in agreement. "Now look, Bob, Arnold is a licensed driver and he had it with him when he went out. Okay, yes, he backed into the motorcycle, but besides that, he didn't commit any true major offense." Then he looked at the policeman. "Did he, Officer?"

The officer sighed exasperatedly. "No, but since he wrecked my motorcycle, I don't think he should be let off the hook so easily."

"Look, Officer, my wife and I will handle our son's punishment, and part of it will include paying for your motorcycle."

"So what?" Bob barked, not wanting Arnold's parents to have the last word just because Arnold had done something wrong. "Hitting a policeman's motorcycle is just a start to committing more offenses. I think he needs a harsher punishment!"

"It was an accident, I swear!" Arnold cried, panicking.

"Bob, _I'm_ Arnold's father, not _you_! Stella and I will handle this ourselves. We don't want your input on how to raise our son!"

"Exactly what Miles said, Bob! I think you're being very unreasonable. People make mistakes, and Arnold's a good kid, even though he made this mistake!"

"How do you know he won't do it again?" Bob said loudly, practically shouting. Then Miles and Stella began shouting back as Bob tried to say more negative things about them and Arnold, and that prompted Phil and Gertie to start shouting as well. The only thing Miriam was trying to do was calm Bob down and make him be reasonable.

Arnold and Helga watched in annoyance as their families shouted at each other. Arnold sarcastically said to Helga, "Maybe we can all go on Fighting Families like this."

After a few seconds, the couple grew annoyed at the argument growing louder, so Helga stood up and shouted, "All right! Stop it, everyone! Please!" And almost immediately, everyone stopped talking and shouting at one another. "Miles, Stella, Mom, Dad? Everyone? Don't place all of the blame on Arnold for what happened with the Packard." She exhaled deeply and confessed, "This is my fault, too."

"Helga?" Stella said in mild surprise.

"Helga…" Arnold began.

"No, Arnold," Helga waved her hand at him. "It needs to be said." Then she turned back towards all of the adults. "Arnold took the Packard without permission because I talked him into doing it. He initially refused, and so I teased him by calling him a sissy, a wet blanket, a spoilsport-"

" _Helga_ ," Arnold interrupted in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Sorry, Arnold," Helga apologized, then continued, "I just wanted Arnold to take a chance and go on the wild side for a change. And so he took the car out just to challenge me and prove me wrong." She stopped briefly to take a breath. "We didn't do anything illegal, I swear. We just went to the movies. And as we started to back out from the parking lot, we hit the officer's motorcycle."

"Have you conveniently forgotten to mention that you were at a _drive-in_ movie?" the cop asked.

"I knew it!" Bob shouted. "What else did you two do there at the drive-in?"

"Nothing!" Helga and Arnold yelled at the same time.

"Guys, I swear, nothing happened between us," Arnold said.

"I swear, too," Helga said.

"You know, young lady," the police officer spoke up, "there is nothing cool about breaking the rules, and breaking rules has consequences. You're just lucky that your boyfriend has a license and is old enough to drive. Otherwise, this could have been much more serious."

Helga said nothing, knowing it wasn't wise to argue with a policeman. "Yes, sir," she finally said.

"That's right, little lady," Bob said. "And as long you had a hand in this incident, you're gonna be punished, too."

"Yes, Dad," Helga said.

"Well, as long you all can decide on the punishment for these two, I think I'll be going now," the policeman said. He started to walk towards the front door. But before he could step out on to the stoop, Phil piped up, "Hey, wait a minute. What happened to my Packard?"

"Oh, it's been impounded," the policeman answered. "And to get it out, it's gonna cost you about 100 bucks."

"Oh, no, it's gonna cost _these two_ about 100 bucks," Phil said, looking at Arnold and Helga.

"Well, thanks for bringing the kids back, officer," Stella said.

"Yeah, thank you," Miles added. "Have a good night, sir."

"Good night, everyone," the policeman said. Then he walked out the door. Once he was outside, Miles closed it, and everyone turned their attention back to Arnold and Helga.

"Helga, come on," Bob spoke up. "You're gonna come home with your mom and me. And we're gonna talk more about this when we get home, little lady."

"Wait. Can't I at least take a few minutes to say good bye to Arnold and his family?"

Bob and Miriam glanced at each other. "All right, honey," Miriam answered. "But please be brief. We'll wait outside." Then the Patakis headed out the front door. As soon as they had gone, Helga took her chance to talk again.

"Miles, Stella, Phil, Gertie," Helga began. "I'm really sorry for all this trouble. But don't be too angry with Arnold. He was just trying to prove something to me, and for that, I can't help but feel a little proud of him." She hesitated for a moment, then continued, "But I feel that I had a hand in helping get in trouble, so he shouldn't be the only one to get in trouble."

Stella and Miles looked at each other, then they both sighed. "Well, Helga, it wasn't right for Arnold to take the car without our permission," Miles said before turning to Arnold. "You're lucky the only thing you mangled was a motorcycle. It could have been a lot more serious."

"But it was very brave of you to admit the truth, Helga, and for that, I'm very proud of you," Stella said.

"I am, too," Miles said, and Helga brightened at hearing those words. "Now, Helga, I don't know what your parents have in store for you as punishment. But as for the rest of us, except for at school, you and Arnold are not allowed to go out together for the next two weekends, and you are not allowed to speak to each other on the phone for the next two weeks."

"And as for the Packard and motorcycle, you two are gonna help pay for them," Phil added.

"Does that seem fair to you two?" Stella asked.

"Yes, Mom and Dad," Arnold answered.

"Yes, Miles and Stella," Helga replied. "So I'm not forbidden from coming here ever again?"

"Oh, of course not," Stella replied. "Don't worry what that policeman or your parents think, Helga. You're a great girl, and we all love you and we love having you here with us."

"Thanks, guys," Helga said. "May I have a moment alone with Arnold before I leave?"

"Sure thing," Miles said. And with that, he, Stella, and his parents went back to the kitchen. Arnold and Helga were now standing alone together at the door.

"So I guess I'll see you on Monday?" Arnold asked, taking Helga's hands in his own.

"Sure, Football Head," Helga smiled. Then Arnold leaned forward and placed his lips on hers, and Helga melted as she kissed her beloved in return.


End file.
